The present invention relates to a new and improved apparatus for dispensing individual plastic fasteners from fastener stock.
Plastic fasteners of the type having a cross bar at one end, a paddle at the other end and a thin filament or cross-link connecting the two ends are well known in the art and widely used in commerce to attach labels, price tags or other items to articles in a manner which minimizes the risk of inadvertent detachment therefrom. Typically, such plastic fasteners are manufactured in the form of fastener stock, the fastener stock being produced by molding or stamping from flexible plastic materials, such as nylon, polyethylene, and polypropylene. In one known type of fastener stock, the cross bar end of each fastener is connected to a runner bar to form a clip of fasteners. In another known type of fastener stock, often referred to as ladder stock, a pair of elongated side members are interconnected by a plurality of cross links or filaments. One of the side members is shaped to define a plurality of cross bars which are joined together by short severable connectors, the connectors being defined by indentations or notches formed along the side member. The other side member is shaped to define a plurality of paddles.
Additional information pertaining to fastener stock may be obtained from the following commonly assigned U.S. patents, all of which are incorporated herein by reference: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,955.475 issued Sep. 11, 1990; 4,456,161, issued Jun. 26, 1984; 4,121,487, issued Oct. 24, 1978; 3,470,834, issued Oct. 7, 1969 and 3,103,666, issued Sep. 17, 1963.
The dispensing of individual fasteners from fastener stock is often accomplished with an apparatus commonly referred to as a "tagger gun". Typically, a tagger gun is a hand held trigger operated gun shaped device which is constructed to accept fastener stock and which includes a mechanism for feeding the cross bar end of a fastener into a hollow needle at the front end of the gun and a mechanism for pushing the cross bar end of the fastener that has been fed into the hollow needle out through the tip of the hollow needle.
In commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,365, which issued Jun. 18, 1991 and which is herein incorporated by reference, a tagger gun for dispensing a plastic fastener through a slotted hollow needle from continuously connected fastener stock is described. The apparatus includes an actuator slide with a central channel, the actuator slide being secured to an ejector rod and fastener stock feed mechanism to actuate these functions. The apparatus further includes a shuttle assembly which reciprocates transversely to the needle axis to cause the cutting of a fastener from the fastener stock, and transport of the severed fastener to the needle axis. The cam bar is linked to the shuttle mechanism and pivotally mounted so that the pivoting of the cam bar causes the transverse shuttle motion. The cam bar passes through the actuator slide channel, whereby sliding of the actuator slide causes pivoting of the cam bar according to the profile of the cam. The apparatus, further includes an antiback mechanism in the form of a catch lever which engages the trigger when it has been partially depressed and prevents its release, until the trigger has been fully depressed.
In commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,456,161, which issued Jun. 26, 1984, another tagger gun for dispensing fasteners is described. The apparatus comprises a casing, a fastener dispensing hollow slotted needle mounted on the casing, means for advancing a fastener to a position adjacent the rear of the needle bore with its end-bar transversely disposed to the longitudinal axis of the bore, means for aligning the end-bar with the needle bore, and means for dispensing the end-bar through the bore. Preferably, the apparatus comprises a feed wheel, an aligning means comprising a reciprocating cam slide which also actuates the feed wheel, a dispensing means comprising a plunger carried by a reciprocating support which also actuates the cam slide, and means for reciprocating the support.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,238 which issued on Nov. 20, 1990, there is disclosed a tagger gun type apparatus in which the transverse bar of a tag pin is pushed out of a hollow needle by a piston which is driven by a motor. The motor is coupled to the piston by a rack and pinion and is controlled by a circuit which includes three switches and other componentry.
In commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 3,470,834, which issued Oct. 7, 1969, there is disclosed an apparatus for dispensing fasteners which comprises a casing, a needle projecting from the casing, the needle having a central bore, and a plunger slidable back and forth in the bore, the needle comprising an elongated piece of sheet material bent into a tube with its edges spaced apart to provide a longitudinal slot along one side of said bore, the forward end of the needle being pointed and the rearward end having a tail for securing the needle in the aforesaid casing, the diameter of said bore being slightly larger than that of said bar so that the bar may slide lengthwise in the needle with said filament extending through said slot, and the device having a fastener passageway in advance of said plunger when the plunger is retracted.
In commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,121,487 which issued on Oct. 24, 1978 there is disclosed an apparatus for dispensing fasteners which includes a stepper motor.
In commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 3,103,660 issued on Sep. 17, 1963 there is described a tagger gun type apparatus for attaching tags to fabrics with a bar-lock attachment, the apparatus being adapted for utilizing plural assemblies of bar-lock attachments and comprising a hollow needle elongately slotted along one side, a plunger for driving the bar of a bar-lock attachment through the needle with the filament of the attachment projecting through the slot, feeding means for bringing each of an assembly of bar-lock attachments into register with one end of the needle, knife means for severing an attachment which is in register with the needle from an assembly of attachments, and handle means for supporting the needle, the handle means including means for operating the feeding means, the knife means and the plunger in sequence.
Another known tagger gun is the Taggetron 770, an electric powered rechargeable apparatus marketed by Central Notion Co., Inc. of Brooklyn, N.Y. Still another known tagger gun is the Taggetron 880, a modification of the Taggetron 770.